Patriots following Cowboys' lead on in-stadium video

Posted by Mike Florio on May 25, 2010, 10:35 AM EST

As more and more NFL fans wonder whether they’ve got a better view of the game from their HD TVs at home than they do from the stadium, more and more NFL teams are expanding their in-stadium video offerings to compete with home theaters.

The most prominent example is the new stadium in Dallas, which has TVs all over the place, including the biggest HD screen in the world. And now the New England Patriots are following the Cowboys’ lead, with Patriots owner Robert Kraft saying at the league meeting on Monday that his team will install new video boards in each end zone.

“I think excluding Dallas, they’ll be the largest,”‘ Kraft said of the boards, per the Boston Globe. “They’ll be HD, they’ll give us the opportunity to show a lot more replays, we’ll be showing the Red Zone Channel in-stadium, with great plays at other stadiums, and it’ll continue to improve the in-game stadium experience.”

Kraft said the Patriots are also looking into allowing fans to use hand-held devices with stats and highlight videos as they attempt to stay one step ahead of the way fans are watching games at home.

“We will have things in-stadium that will be unique,” Kraft said. “I went for decades with my kids, and there’s something about sitting in the stadium, being with the community you sit with, it’s a full day experience.”

Hey Mike,
How do the improvements that the Ravens have made to their HD boards compare to Dallas and NE’s planned improvements? I read that one board is 100 feet wide and 24 feet in height according to some local media.
Thanks!

Let the Patriots and “Video/Cheating” related wisecracks begin.
I think showing “Red Zone” in NFL stadiums is a fantastic idea, every team should do it. Most fans today care in varying degrees about what happens at all the games, not just the one they are attending.

For the past couple of years, Redksins FedEx Field and Dolphin stadium had these Kangaroo hand helds that were actualy pretty neat. The cost was $25 i think to rent it for the day. You could catch scores and hight lights of other games while at FedEx field. At the time Sprint had the contract on them, but i think now the owner of the Dolphins bought it out and is looking to push these in all stadiums.

Figures the first response has to go right into the toilet. Get original you hacks….
I don’t think the league is going to like it. Then EVERYONE will see how the officials fix the games (like they did in 42) in full clarity. They won’t be able to say “we didn’t see it that way” when it will be in plain sight for all (including the ones in stripes who claim temporary blindness from time to time) to see.

If they want to increase the “game day experience” then make the stadium the destination. Make it easier, and less expensive to tailgate. Open the stadium early in the morning for people to wander around and watch pregame warmups. Let people sit in their seats before the late afternoon game and watch the earlier games on these new HDTV’s. After the game is over don’t immediately rush everyone out to the parking lot to sit in traffic, but instead pipe in the NFL network to let people watch replays and possibly OT games.
Right now it is just a hassle to fight into the stadium to sit for 3 hours and then fight to get home. However if I could make a day out of it, then it wouldn’t be so bad.

As of typing this, there is only one comment posted, but I groaned as soon as I saw the words Patriots and video. So I’ll just get this in as the inevitable group of clowns, Matt Walsh, Child Please, ItalianArmyGuy, etc make their stupid jokes.
Dick Vermeil: “It didn’t help them win”
Jimmy Johnson: “Yeah I did the same thing”
Jay Fiedler: “They wouldn’t have known our signals anyways”
Bill Cowher: “We had wristbands to protect against that stuff”
Herm Edwards: (waves at spygate camera)
Game breaking footage includes Herm waving the cameras and the Chargers cheerleaders butts. Dang, that’s a nice booty on the brunette.

“They’ll be HD, they’ll give us the opportunity to show a lot more replays, we’ll be showing the Red Zone Channel in-stadium, with great plays at other stadiums, and it’ll continue to improve the in-game stadium experience.”
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Not sure if they do it in Dallas right now but the red zone channel idea is a brilliant one.

Kraft is a fantastic owner. He spends the money needed to maintain a state-of-the-art facility. He also pays Belichick what he deserves. Kraft is a self-made multi-millionare who still has the enthusiasm of a fan which he was long before he bought the team.
For those of you who have never been to Gillette Stadium you cannot appreciate what a nice facility it is. Having gone to games at the old stadium (constructed with spit and glue) and now getting to enjoy this facility is a great experience. Nothing better than to have your football team recognized as one of the marquis organizations in the league.
Okay dipsticks, let’s hear the nonsense.

HandsofSweed says:
May 25, 2010 10:48 AM
It’s going to have a big, giant eye that stares at your coordinators the whole game. Bill Belichick will control it with his mind.
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Hilarious!

@AirlineGuy
You’re right on the money, those are great suggestions. However, I honestly don’t believe the owners care more about the fans than they care about emptying our wallets on game day. If they could implement your ideas and boost their profit margin, it will happen. Otherwise, well, I’ll be waving to you in that traffic jam while listening to the radio to get updates.

# Belichick Is God says: May 25, 2010 11:09 AM
It didn’t take long for an idiot Colt fan (lovinBlue) to chime in. Enjoy your choking gagging QB who is 9-9 in the postseason, Colts fans.
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And it didn’t take long for even a bigger idiot to respond to her post.

Showing the Red Zone would be a step up from the non-stop commercials they show now.
Not really interested in the hand held stuff though. Might as well just stay home and watch it on the plasma tv is that’s what they are going to peddle.

they could always just show, repeatedly, the 3 super bowl celebrations. you know, the ones all these cry babies wish their team had. the ones with tommy boy and tedy hugging bill; the gatorade on bill and his dad. bask in it! still feels greeeeaaaaaat!
there will be more!

AirlineGuy says:
May 25, 2010 11:05 AM
If they want to increase the “game day experience” then make the stadium the destination. Make it easier, and less expensive to tailgate. Open the stadium early in the morning for people to wander around and watch pregame warmups. Let people sit in their seats before the late afternoon game and watch the earlier games on these new HDTV’s. After the game is over don’t immediately rush everyone out to the parking lot to sit in traffic, but instead pipe in the NFL network to let people watch replays and possibly OT games.
Right now it is just a hassle to fight into the stadium to sit for 3 hours and then fight to get home. However if I could make a day out of it, then it wouldn’t be so bad.
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These are fantastic ideas! I only hope you’ll work, or are currently working for, the NFL in some capacity.
And yes, NFL Red Zone should be shown in EVERY stadium. Not on the huge on field boards of course, but maybe on every other TV inside the staduim.

This is an interesting story, but I’m not sure it merits being covered in the Daily One-Liners AND here. Do you guys even talk to each other before deciding what goes on the site?
Oh, and for those of you who didn’t realize it, a TV screen (even a really big HD screen) can’t record video. I guess that takes the wind out of some of the coming Spygate comments. Not that people still raising that issue would even notice the glaring contradiction to their jokes… They only wish their team was good enough to merit the attention the Patriots get.

Doctor Connors says:
May 25, 2010 11:07 AM
As of typing this, there is only one comment posted, but I groaned as soon as I saw the words Patriots and video. So I’ll just get this in as the inevitable group of clowns, Matt Walsh, Child Please, ItalianArmyGuy, etc make their stupid jokes.
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Man Pats fans seem a little bit sensitive. Look the Spy Gate thing is never, ever going away. Make your piece with it and own it. No big deal dude. Everyone’s favorite team has some bad moments that will live on forever. Just in football alone, Rapitsburger, Jerrys World, Al Davis, Ray Lewis = Murder, Colts pumping in extra noise. Just relax and enjoy your team and don’t get caught up in all the comments. IT really makes you Boston guys look like a bunch of cry baby chowda heads.

Um, other teams have gone to this before the Pats. I guess since the Pats are associated, they get a whole story that implies that they are the second team to do it when they really are not. What a lame and late story.

I must say, The Cowboys Stadium is by all means the BEST in stadium experience(s) I’ve been to (and I’ve been to many a stadium)
It’d be wise to follow the road of the Cowboys as Jerry Jones is a genius and a hell of a trailblazer

Actually, as a Steeler fan, I have let go of the whole Spygate thing. It was just a funny image (video screen with a giant eye controlled by BB). In reality, we lost the 2001 AFC title game because we had a routine FG blocked and returned for a TD (10 point swing the wrong direction in a 7 point loss.) We also gave up a punt return TD. No Spygate: just arguably the most terrible special teams effort in NFL postseason history. In 2004, we had a rookie QB and they were just a bit better than us. Period.
Plus, it’s kinda hard to get that pissed, given Lombardi’s #5 and #6 since then.

Nate is Gay for Brady says: May 25, 2010 10:57 AM
Will they be showing the other teams practices from earlier in the week?
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Brilliant!
I think, since there are going to be 2 giant video boards, one could be used to show a non-stop loop of “Patriot’s Funniest SpyGate Videos”, narrated by Bob Saget.
The other video board could show a gigantic close-up of the opposing D-Coordinator’s lips moving, and one of those sign-language geeks could be hired to translate and type the text of the upcoming play-call under the picture
At the end of each game, Roger Goodell could actually burn down the entire video boards using an Olympic-sized torch, so that no other team could get ahold of them and gain a competitive advantage

The one Dan $nyder put up at Fedex is only going to be 100 feet wide and 30 feet high.. so not even in the top 5 around the world…
have to admit.. this made me chuckle:
“The obvious question is whether the monitors and hand-held devices will show replays from the same angle as broadcast TV, or the opponents’ coaches sending in signal calls.”